


The Heretic Princess and her Dragon

by Dodingle



Category: The Princess's Dragon - Susan Trombley
Genre: Action, Action/Adventure, Adventure, Alternate Universe - Gods & Goddesses, Angst, Dragons, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Romance, F/F, F/M, Fanfiction, Fantasy, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, Gen, Long Shot, M/M, Magic, Magic-Users, Minor Original Character(s), Multi, Mystery, Other, Romance, Strong Female Characters, Witches, Wizards
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-11
Updated: 2019-09-11
Packaged: 2020-10-14 12:50:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20601074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dodingle/pseuds/Dodingle
Summary: Princess Sondra does'nt believe in dragons..until she turned into one, that is.Fanfiction of the Princess's Dragon, follow Sondra as she torn from the world of humans and thrust into the world of dragons, magic, gods, monsters, and maybe, love?





	The Heretic Princess and her Dragon

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The Princess's Dragon](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/556930) by Susan Trombley. 

> I love this book to pieces but every time I read it a million ideas pop into my head, so I figured I'd put them down. Feedback would be much appreciated! 
> 
> I dont own anything, all characters, worlds, etc., belong to Susan Trombley

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sondra wanders too far a field

_ **Prologue** _

"Once upon a time in an age long past, the world was enveloped in darkness. Man roamed the land, faithless, magicless**,** and helpless. The Gods of Olde were dying, and land was soaked in blood of the wicked and the innocent. The people sacrificed and prayed, day in and day out, hoping for an end to the night, hoping for the light of a new and better age to come down from on high; but the gods did not heed them for they were all but candles that were down to the last of their wicks. That is, until the The Pantheon arrived and delivered salvation upon us mere mortals," recited the weathered voice in a dutiful tone, her gaze set off in a faraway place as she reached through her memories to an age long past. To the small child who sat before her, she had recited it hundreds of times over the course of her short life, but it never got any more interesting than the last round.

"Vivacel poured life and light into the land while her lover, Morbidon, took it. He sent reapers and hellish hounds after lost souls that the Gods of Olde neglected in their decline, and finally setting them to rest in the Underworld. Aquea brought water to the land, helping to soothe the fires that had ravaged it in the time of darkness, helping the crops grow and the cleansing Man of his sins. Ziphora brought the winds of change, shaking fruit from trees and aiding weary travelers while Terroc molded the land to his will, creating vast valleys and enormous mountains with the slightest flick of his hand..." Nanny paused, flicking her hand to mimick the movement with an air of dramatics. The small girl didnt find it as amusing as the first thirty times Nanny had done it. She sent a silent thanks to the gods, the hand flick usually signaled the ending of Nanny's drawling tales.

"Man had found his gods again, and all was well with the world. As long as Man gave love to the gods, the gods would give love to Man, which is why we created Pantheon Square with a temple dedicated to each God and Goddess, including the useless fire-weaver who has never once in history answered a prayer or bestowed a gift of pyromancy upon his followers. The nerve I tell you! And yet some people are still inclined to give him praise, for what though, I know not," muttered Nanny as she simultaneously finished the row in her knitting, tying off the end of the yarn with the carved bone needles.

The small girl drew circles with her tiny fingers onto the old weathered floor of her nursery as she half-listened to the nanny's story for the umpteenth time, She let out a small huff, blowing away a stray bit of golden hair from her face. Nanny could go on for hours about the lazy fire god, and with her luck, she likely would carry on her tyraid. The small girl glanced at the imposing figure of her nanny before she very gingerly used her hands to carefully pull herself towards the door. If she was careful enough, she might make it out the door this time..

"Cassondra Falanell Cristalona Ariva! What have I told you about respectful listening?" Snapped the nanny in a shrill, tight voice, the enormous wrinkles around her mouth pulling into a mighty frown.

Cassondra, or Sondra as she preferred, sat bolt upright, wincing reflectively. Her wide brown eyes now fixed upon the piercing green of her nanny's as she immediately fixed her posture into the old straight-back and firm pose that had been keenly beaten into her skull since she was able to walk. She sheepishly grinned for a moment, hoping to quell Nanny's temper before it boiled over, her smile dazzled most adults, but unfortunately Nanny wasnt most adults. The hawkish expression remained unchanged.

"I-I'm sorry! I-I just…." Sondra stammered, her voice fading at the thunderous look the old crone shot her way.

The nanny fixed her with a hard stare as she sat back against the old chair, now knitting furiously, as though she could use her anger to mold the yarn to her whim. The new sock she attempted to make was slightly misshapen from the rough handling on Nanny's part, which didnt seem to help things at all. It was a moment before Nanny spoke.

"A princess must always be invested in any conversation that she is involved in. You are to smile, nod, and to charm the speaker, one day you'll be speaking to the Lords and Ladies of the Court and they do not like to be ignored. It's very rude to do so, are you rude? Is that what you are, a rude little piglett?" Asked Nanny sharply.

Sondra shook her head with a gulp, heart pounding. She could almost feel the nanny's anger, as if it were a wall pressing down upon her frame, burning cold and hot at the same time. While she was petrified of the old woman's temper, and what a temper it was, some small part of her pushed back against it, something inside stood in defiance and roared at the old crone, gnashing teeth and screaming into the void.

_ I'll be whatever I want to be, and I'll smile when I feel like it! Those lords and ladies can stuff it for all I care! They never have anything interesting to say anyways.._ Sondra mentally declared. She had discovered the insulating magic of her own mind many years ago, she could say whatever she wanted and no one could hear it but her. She could scream in defiance or call adults the bad words Derek had taught her like 'stupid head' and 'butt face', and she'd never face consequences for such things. Her mind was her haven, a respite in the tumultuous sea of her life, all 5 years of it. One day, when she was all grown up, she would tell people what she thought of them and laugh if they got mad. Sondra shook herself from thought, remembering the angry figure in the room. She had to do something, before Nanny decided to punish her and make her sit in the pig pen like the last time Sondra was caught being unattentive.

"N-no…" Sondra offered meekly, trying to diffuse the situation, using the small, frail voice that would sometimes get her out of trouble.

"No?" The nanny replied with a raised brow, voice level with an underlying threat.

Sondra stared defiantly at the old crone, she knew what she had to say, the adults had been pressing harder lately for her to learn the polite words like 'please' and 'thank you', it was tiresome at this point and her mental voice screamed out in annoyance every time this had happened, lashing an invisible tail, but she gave in to simply get it over with.

Sondra purposefully drug out the moment, counting silently in her head, she had until the count of 4 before Nanny would bite her tounge, that's when things got really scary. She held her breath before saying the magic words with a small sigh.

"No, My Lady…" She relented with a bow of her head, lowering her eyes to the floor. Nanny sat back with a forced smile.

"Good girl, see? That wasn't so hard." Cooed Nanny in a saccharine voice. Sondra cringed internally, she had heard the Huntsman use those same words in that same tone when referring to the castle hounds whenever they did something good.

The old woman thought her a dog. Then again, so did the steward, he used those words when training her and her older sister, Elona, in the Arts of Grace. Elona had told her she hated it too when they were alone in their room and away from ever listening ears, but whenever somebody called her that awful name she'd beam at them. Sondra often wondered privately why her sister was desperate to please the strangers who thought her a hound.

Desperate to change the subject, Sondra worried her elegant dress and practice tiara that her mother had ordered her to wear. Sondra could feel the wall of anger slowly lifting, and she could breath again, her own nerves steadying for a moment before she worked up the courage to ask a question.

"My Lady...Could you please tell me about the wizards?" Sondra asked in her sweetest voice, the one that could sometimes win her a treat from the palace chef.

Nanny raised a brow, for once she actually looked a bit befuddled.

"The wizards? Why do you want to know about them?" Asked Nanny, her knitting becoming a bit tangled again.

Sondra shrugged. As she sidled a bit closer, still well out of kicking-range.

"Elona said that they want to take me away some day, that they liked me an awful lot and that I had something called...uh..po-tent-tial…" Sondra said sounding out the big word carefully, worrying a small string that had come loose from her dress.

Nanny pursed her thin, wrinkly lips as she struggled with her knitting, shaking her head ever so slightly.

"Dont listen to Elona, dear, she just likes to see others suffer. No one is taking you anywhere, I promise. You're going to stay right here and grow up to be a good princess and a good wife some day, stay clear of those...those.." Nanny made a sour face as she thought of the right word. Sondra waited a moment.

"Butt faces?" Sondra offered. Nanny eyed her for a moment, a smile threatening to take over the typically stern face.

"Yes, those 'butt faces'. But dont say 'butt', it's very unbecoming of a princess. You need to stop spending so much time with those raggamuffins from the kitchens, and that guards son, hes a bad influence." Nanny with a firm nod and a tone that could make a wild wolf sit on command. Sondra decided Nanny was trying to convince herself more than anyone. She didn't remember much of the men in strange robes, nor of the funny objects they toted, all she knew is that her parents and the steward and Nanny spoke in hushed tones in a small antechamber for a very long time after the men left. Sondra had been elated at the thought that she possessed something her sister didnt for once, something that could not only make rabbits appear from hats but could make one cookie two, or three, or four. That part excited her the most. But without some teaching Sondra couldnt do much. She tried to do magic, she made up spells, tried to think magically, wore robes with stars sewn on them, but nothing ever seemed to work in her favor. Not even a sparkle appeared from her finger tips. Derek suggested that Sondra needed a magic wand, and offered her a black smith's fire poker. The only 'magic' she had been able to do was to make blood 'appear' from her foot when little Sondra dropped the heavy instrument onto the dainty and frankly unprotective silk slipper. The pained howls that came from here were enough to wake the dead, Nanny had said when she had come rushing to her aid. Sondra wasnt allowed to see Derek for weeks afterwards.

Pulling herself from memory and thought, Sondra nodded in defeat, unable to pry even the tiniest crumb of information from Nanny about he mysterious wizards. She'd have to try again next time. She was about to ask another question when a hurried knock came at the door. The runner, a pimplish scrawny tween from the village, bowed deeply before them, before breathlessly relaying his message, seeming to have run all the way from where ever he came from.

"Good afternoon My Lady and Highness, the Queen has requested for Princess Sondra to come down to the gardens and attend a short recess with the children of the visiting Lord and Lady Vanguard, at your earliest convince." He said, carefully releasing the words as not to trip on any of them. He bowed once again for good measure.

Nanny had assumed her Fancy Posture, which was more akin to a stalking cat in Sondra's mind, relaxed but tense and deeply calculating. She glanced at him before glancing to Sondra.

"Please inform her Majesty that we shall be down posthaste." She said in her elegant, silky voice. The runner nodded before darting off once more, leaving the door open for them.

Nanny set her knitting onto a small table before standing up an brushing off her skirts and adjusting the headdress that looked more like cow horns upon her head before helping Sondra to her feet and adjusting her dress as well.

"Remember Sondra, you're to be on your best behaviour with the Lord's children, mind your manners, be nice, and don't rough house, they are very frail and will break." She said as she gently grabbed Sondra's shoulders and looked into her eyes, Sondra felt a wave of nervous energy wash over her, something that made her small chest feel as though it was being compressed, like when someone hugged her too tight but not in a good way, like when someone is worried about you and wont let go, something that boiled up in the back of her mind, like a distant memory. Sondra nodded.

"Okay My Lady, I'll try.." Sondra said, clutching a small doll to her chest. Nanny smiled and gently hugged the girl before standing and leading the way into the garden, posture fancy and face stern.

******

It was a hot day in Ariva, especially so in the heavily paved garden that sat directly behind the castle. King Alexi and heavily pregnant Queen Sorcha of Ariva had servants bustling about as they struggled to remain cool in their heavy garments as they hosted their elegant and very rich guests. Laughter, glasses clinking, and a small orchestra were the only sounds heard in the garden aside from the occasional shuffling from the servants. Sondra had been released into the wilds of the garden after she had done her practiced curtsey and recited the traditional Royal Greeting in front of the guests and her parents at the silent behest of Nanny. Sorcha reached down and lovingly tucked a blonde strand behind and ear while Alexi smiled gently at her. The guests were glad in gold spun jewelry. The gems that adorned them cast tiny rainbows all around. Sondra faintly wondered if they were dragons in human forms, for they looked like they carried a hoard upon their persons. Something about them was very icky, Sondra decided, the air around them was heavy and goopy, like a muck puddle she would find in the stable yard but worse. They were beautiful outside, but something was gross inside. Sondra had to wait until she was properly dismissed before she could join the children.

Sondra roamed the fragrant beds of flowers and the well groomed bushes before she came upon her sister and the visiting Lord's children, who were all sat at the secluded end of the garden at a stone made table, they were locked in what appeared to be a very serious game of cards. Elona, much taller and older than Sondra waved a fan as she glared at her cards, she too was stuffed into a heavy and ornate dress like her mother, her's was a vibrant green and orange color, in contrast to Sorcha's blue and red dress. A servant held an umbrella above her, careful not to bump the Lords' servants' umbrellas, the shade had very little effect on the blistering heat that was reflected off of the pavement, the servants themselves looked deey uncomfortable in their ornate garments. Sondra had to stand on her very tippy-toes just to see above the table at the game. Sondra didnt dare speak, Elona had tweaked her ear the last time she had interrupted her sister while she was occupied with something.

Sondra never liked the older boy, there was something very icky about him that she couldn't quite put her finger on, every time she was near him she felt sick to her stomach and somewhat scared, an image would flash of a sick, mad dog eyeing a helpless baby rabbit, and that wouldn't help her tummy any. The elder boy felt...dan-ger-ous, a word given to her by Nanny when Sondra tried to pet such a mad sick dog, Nanny told her that the dog wasn't friendly and would hurt her badly if given the chance, which was strange because only a week before it was the best out of all the hounds and would gladly help Sondra eat unwanted vegetables, until it was bitten by a strange animal. Sondra didn't see him around afterwords.

The older Lord's son smiled widely before laying down a set of cards to the annoyance of his brother who sneered at the hand.

"Well your highness, it looks like I hold Star Kite Moon, and I announce Fighed. " Announced the elder Lords son. His brother laid his hand flat and messaged his temples. Elona at first look distraught and confused before pretending to weep, Sondra had gotten very good at discerning when her sister shed actual tears and when she pretended, mostly because she used that trick often on their parents. The Lords looked nervously between each other for a moment, and at their servants.

Elona pulled a handkerchief from a pocket and dabbed at her eyes before her sobs melted into maniacal laughter as she slapped a winning set onto the table with a grin.

"Claw Sun Deer, and that my lords, is the game!" Elona said matter-of-factly as she pulled the pot, a tray of sweets, over to herself. She smiled proudly at the now stone-faced brothers. Sondra could feel the triumph rolling off her sister in waves, gold and pink popped into her minds eye, bubbly and proud. It was short lived, as something green, brown, red rose up from the other side of the table, its oppressive weight popping the bubbles quickly.

"Rematch! I'm not losing to a girl, especially one that's probably cheating!" Puffed the older brother as he pounded a hand on the table, knocking a chalice over. The younger brother rolled his eyes as he shuffled the deck. Elona waved one of the treats at him and took a definitive bite out of it, smiling smugly through the raspberry tart, cool waves of blue and white coming from her. Sondra knew her sister didn't cheat, she was so smart she didn't need to. To Sondra, Elona was the smartest person in the whole wide world, and Elona seemed to know it too.

"My lords, a lady does not cheat, nor do I feel any particular need to. I grow tired of this game, you can only win so many times in a row before it loses its charm. How about we play a game that you'll at least have a fighting chance at, hm?" Elona smiled, eyes sharp as she twisted her claws into the elder brother pride. That too she was very good at, finding a person's weak spot and making them suffer for it. Dark red now flowed from Elona before they again were snuffed by a boiling wave of red, black, and orange. The elder brother's face turned tomato red as he slammed his fists down on the table, face contorting into a mask of rage.

"YOU ARE A CHEATER YOU UGLY WITCH, I DONT LOSE TO ANYONE, ESPECIALLY TO A DUMB, UGLY GIRL LIKE YOU!!" He bellowed, spittle flying everywhere, his younger brother winched and had reflectively held his hands up to protect himself. Elona remained cool and wholly unbothered.

"If 'ugly' and 'witch' are the only nouns you have to describe me then it is little wonder you can lose at a child's game, how about we pick up this conversation when you gain a larger vocabulary, though, I suppose, you'll need a bigger brain for such a thing, something I'm afraid you'll never obtain." Elona snipped with a feigned look of pity as she snapped her fan closed and got up from her chair.

The servants shared a look, not of horror but of poorly suppressed amusement. The younger brother threw himself out of his chair and went racing back to his parents before his elder brother began throwing the tantrum of a life time, pulling out flower beds, throwing said table and chair- Elona barely managed to save the treat tray- and screaming a number of obscenities that a 10 year old had no business knowing. Elona merely sniffed in disgust before gently taking Sondra's hand and gently lead her away from such nonsense.

Sondra looked back at the raging troll, her stomach in anxious knots as she fought back tears, anger always made her scared, a crisp cold color, but by the way Elona tightly gripped Sondra's hand and marched steadily away, she could feel that crisp color coming from her followed by another feeling she would later learn was dread.

*******

Elona pulled Sondra to the other side of the gardens that lay outside of the ballroom, they didn't have big parties or galas, Elona said that mother and father couldn't afford them any more.

Sondra clutched her doll close to her chest, the icky aura from the elder boy sticking to her like a bad stench or bog mud. She looked up to Elona, the cool waves coming off her once more.

"Ona, that boy is scary, why does mommy and daddy let him come over? He's mean and dumb!" Sondra declared. Elona smiled sadly at her sister, her eyes somber and cold but her mouth was shining and bright.

"His daddy is a very important man, and mommy and daddy need to be friends with him. I have to be friends with his kid." She said plainly, Elona never talked down to Sondra like the other adults did.

Sondra made a face.

"But what about Derek? His daddy is the captain, and he's so much nicer! You could be best friends with him, you wouldn't need that other boy!" Sondra argued, drawing the real smile out from Elona, who shook her head.

"Derek is….He's not like us, that boy and us are royalty and royalty can only marry royalty." Elona explained as she gently kicked a rock down the path, making it skitter across the stones.

"Why?" Sondra asked innocently.

"Because."

"Because why?"

"Because it's in the rules."

"What rules?"

"The ones old people make up to be mean to younger people."

Sondra laughed at that, Elona snorted herself, covering her mouth with her fan. If someone had heard her say that she'd get a tongue lashing for sure. Sondra spied the garden entrance with a gasp, it was open, it was usually locked tight but today it sat there, wide open. She tugged at Elona's dress excitedly as she hopped up and down, squealing.

"Ona! Ona, looklooklook! The gate! The gates open!" She shrieked as she pulled her sister forward with a surprising amount of strength, making her sister stumble a bit before picking herself up and following as quickly as she could.

"Sondra, slow down, you're gonna make me fall!" Elona laughed.

Sondra ran as fast as her little legs could take her across the pavement, on the other side of the garden wall lay sprawling meadows filled with hundreds of beautiful wild flowers and berry bushes, Sondra imagined a whole afternoon of her and her sister enjoying themselves out there, no adults, no mean boys, just her and her sister.

The dream was short lived however when a gaggle of ladies-in-waiting rounded the corner, each wearing their best dresses, each laughing somewhat forcefully and smiling painfully fake smiles.

Sondra didnt like these girls either, she could tell they were playing some sort of game but could never make out what. It was like looking at a bard who wore a mask for a play, Sondra could tell a person was under it but they acted different with the mask on. Elona once told her the masks took over and made people do crazy things. Elena's smile disappeared quickly at the sight of them. They each bowed low before the princesses.

"My royal, esteemed, enlightened, illuminated, radiant highnesses, it is an honor to be graced by your perfection on this beautiful day!" said the lead girl in a sickly sweet voice. Elona's eyes rolled to the sky as she and Sondra returned the bow, Sondra fighting to keep the disappointment from her face. She eyed the gate again, eager for Elona to get this conversation over with so they could go.

"The honor is received and graciously returned, my ladies. We were out on a walk, about to return to our chambers." Elona replied shortly, starting to turn and leave before the lead girl stepped in the way.

"Your highness! I wish to embroider with you and share news, perhaps over tea? That is, at your earliest convince, your elegance." The girl said, quickly correcting herself when she realized she had stepped over her bounds. The other girls shared a quick look of panic. Elona's eyes sharpened and narrowed as she looked the girl up and down, her lip curling a bit. Sondra tugged at Elona's dress.

"Ona, come one, let's go play!" Sondra whined. Elona shot a look at her little sister as the girls tittered a laugh.

"Aw, are you guys playing, I thought her highness would be interested in more grown up things." The lady snipped, trying to get her way again. Color brightened Elona's face as the girls laughed. She grabbed Sondra by the arm and dragged her away towards the wall. Sondra was excited for a whole second before she realized what was going on when she felt the waves of red anger rolling off Elona's person, sharp and pointed.

"Sondra, you know better than to do that in front of them!" Elona barked in a loud whisper.

"Do what? They were the ones who int-ur-upted us!" Sondra whispered back.

Elona shook her head. She took a deep breath through her nose before fixing Sondra with a sharp gaze. The anger melted into a smile, even though Sondra could feel the anger still.

"Look, how about you go outside and I'll meet you in the meadow, okay? I won't be long, you could even catch a fairy for me, how does that sound?" Elona sweetly offered. Sondra's face lit up like a match. She had heard that fairies lingered around the castle, and they wanted wishes to good little girls, like Sondra. She smiled and almost squealed again before Elona put a finger to her lips.

"Our secret, we'll go out for a while and come back, okay?" Elona smiled as she gently held Sondra's tiny hands in hers. Sondra nodded vigorously, the practice tiara almost coming off with her excitement. Elona gently pushed her towards the gate, an offer which Sondra wouldn't refuse.

She was off like a shot as she ran past the gate and into the open fields, it was a breath of freedom that the little princess hadn't had in a long time. She spun around, holding onto the dolls hands and let her spin out as she laughed to herself. Sondra busied herself for some time, between harassing ants with a stick, chasing rabbits and ground foul, turning large rocks over, and collecting discarded bird feathers, she didn't even notice an hour had gone by since Elona's promise. She started to wander farther afield, she rolled down the grassy knolls upon which the castle sat and laughed as the world spanned with her. She played by herself, keeping herself amused for some time before a bolt of lightning hit her, her promise! She began to panic at the thought of Elona finding her fairyless and dirty,a fact of which she was becoming very aware of. She frantically began searching everywhere, under bushes, in the grass, under trees, in squirrel holes, but to no avail.

"Faireeeesss, come out come out pleaaaasee…" Sondra called out softly as not to scare them away. She caught a glimpse of wings flapping, a grasshopper. She started to follow it, momentarily distracted from her important journey. She didn't realise how far she had wandered, how little the castle looked in the distance now, how low in the sky the sun was. She was bent on finding fairy's for her sister, and by the gods that was exactly what she was going to do.

It wasn't until the little princess stood there, at the spot where the meadow ended and something entirely different began. Sondra stared resolutely at the looming shape that was a huge copse of trees, the interior dark, only a few trees near the entrance could even be made out. Cold air blew in from the darkness, bringing the smell of sweet grass, mushrooms, and something else with it. Something alive. Something like a hum surrounded it, the air was absolutely electric around the trees. This forest felt like a person, it had feelings and thoughts of a kind, fuzzy and distant, but loud enough for Sondra to catch in her mind's eye. She felt amusement, curiosity, and something else coming from it. She wanted to run away for a moment, to return to Elona, but at the same time something called to her, tugged at her soul. She could glimpse small balls of light flitting about in the undergrowth, Sondra took a deep breath to brace herself before she slowly took her first few steps into the Forbidden Woods, the place Nanny had roundly warned her about, the play mommy and daddy would talk about in worried, hushed tones, the place that was said that those who entered never returned.

Except for Sondra, who would return, but changed in a very big way.

When she walked through the gates of the palace the next day, accompanied by a strange elderly man who walked hunched and had a snow white beard about 5ft long, she was not the same little girl who went into the woods. The light was gone from her eyes, she was covered in scratches and the tattered remains of her dress, no longer carried her doll, and above all else, no longer believed in magic or fairies. More importantly, she could no longer feel the emotions rolling off people or see the distinct flashes of color that keyed her into a person's very soul. No, Sondra was missing part of her soul.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, more to come!


End file.
